Homeschool Math Newsletter, Vol. 33, October 2009
Math practice has never been so much fun!
Practice math at IXL, the world's most complete math practice site for Pre-K through middle school.
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In this month's newsletter:
1. Strategies for basic addition and subtraction facts
2. Unit studies in math - States by the Numbers
3. Giggle Facts
4. Understanding basic division
5. Tidbits
1. Strategies for basic addition and subtraction facts
In this video I show several strategies for learning the basic addition and subtraction facts:
- finding all the possible sums for a certain number; e.g. for 6, these would be 0 + 6, 1 + 5, 2 + 4, and 3 + 3;
- writing out all the fact families where the sum is a certain number;
- the 9 "trick"; 9 + 7 is the same as 10 + 6 (9 wants so badly to be 10 so that it "steals" one from 7);
- doubles and the accompanying addition facts;
- number rainbows and how to use them to practice subtraction;
- a structured drill for addition facts.
Enjoy!
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Teach Math Problem Solving at Home - A Guide for Parents
See Sample Problems and Purchase at www.johnrdixonbooks.com
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2. Unit studies in math - States by the Numbers
Recently I've had the pleasure of adding to MathMammoth.com a series of workbooks titled States by the Numbers, by Make It Real Learning company.
States by the Numbers is a series of workbooks where the problems in each workbook are based on data from the Census Bureau's 2008 Statistical Abstract of the United States.
These workbooks offer a real-data math adventure across the United States! You can use a workbook for your state along with other resources as a unit study about your own state, or your other favorite states. Meanwhile the students will also learn and practice place values, rounding, estimation, fractions and percentages.
There are 50 workbooks in the series − one for each state. The price is low; just $2.99 per book. Each workbook includes basic instruction and 80 practice problems. The problems can be used on grades 3-7; probably the best fit is for grades 4-6.
Please see this page for more information, including a list of mathematical objectives in each of the books, or see the order page.
3. A review of Giggle Facts
Monkey in the Middle game practices "number sandwich" facts. Click to enlarge.
So, these games are not just random "practice your math facts" games. They are designed to be used in succession, in a very specific sequence. In fact, there are 50 different games. The author Laurie Laurendeau says it may take up to a YEAR to go through the complete program with the games.
The program (and the games) is divided into 26 levels, from A to Z. There are 15 separate strategies taught within those levels. Some levels simply practice all the strategies learned up to that point. Each level has 1-3 games. Most of the games (33) are board games, and the rest are played with dominoes, dice, playing cards, or pencil & paper.
Read the complete review!
4. Understanding basic division
Denise has made a good post on the concept of division, which I heartily recommend. She deals with a study where Finnish researchers gave this problem to high school students and pre-service teachers:
We know that:
498 ÷ 6 = 83.
How could you use this relationship (without using long-division) to discover the answer to:
491 ÷ 6=?
[No calculators allowed!]
I really like the question. To solve it, you need to TRULY understand what DIVISION and remainders are all about!
Now, let's think about it. Have you ever seen a pattern in division and remainders, like the one below?
Continue reading.
5. Tidbits
- Spread of H1N1 (swine) flu and mathematics
I came across an interesting blog post by Murray Bourne titled H1N1 and the Logistic Equation. It explains how a logistic function can be used to model the spread of a virus or a disease in a given population.
- Flower Power
This is a game from Mangahigh.com - the one that I liked most... it's addictive! Grow flowers and harvest them to make money. Practice ordering decimals, fractions, and percentages. The game starts with ordering decimals (daisies), and proceeds into fractions (tulips or roses) and percents. Each time you get a full stem, you need to decide whether to pick the flowers to sell (earn money) or to let them be pollinated and thus get more flowers to grow. Grades 3-8.
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Save Our Dumb Planet.
Another game from Mangahigh.com. Defend Earth from deadly meteorites using missiles. A team of dumb scientists are on hand to suggest possible trajectories. Practice drawing lines, quadratic curves, and some harder curves using their equations. The game has many levels, and you can stay at the easier levels if you so wish. Don't listen to the dumb scientists' talk - they mislead you! Grades 8-11 (algebra).
- Piecewise defined functions on TI Graphing Calculators
I'm not sure if many of you would need this information, but just in case someone does, I am including it. Maybe some high school students would find it amusing or challenging (or both) to be able to graph them. This post is the last of a 5-part series, which deals with "How understanding holes in rational functions help you graph piecewise defined functions on TI graphing calculators". The first post in the series is here.
On October 10, I will be sending out a special message from a sponsor. Other than that... till November,
Maria Miller
Miss something from the earlier volumes? See newsletter archives.
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